When it comes to genre entertainment, there is no escaping romantasy. While there is some debate as to whether romantasy is really its own genre or if it’s a dressed-up iteration of romantic fantasy the one thing that is certain is that it’s a pocket of the book world that has exploded in recent years thanks in no small part to books like A Court of Thorns and Roses. It’s also a genre whose popularity is only growing as new authors, books, and series emerge and Hollywood catches on and starts taking the stories from page to screen (we are particularly excited about the Fourth Wing adaptation).
Videos by ComicBook.com
But as the genre continues to grow, thrilling and enchanting more and more readers every day, it can be easy to get a little lost in terms of what to read next. Fortunately, the past decade has seen the arrival of some books that are not only great romantasy titles, but just good books in general. Here is a list of five great romantasy books from the last decade. This is by no means a comprehensive list or even a best of the best. These are just really good books that scratch the romantasy itch. It’s also worth pointing out that you’re not going to find a lot of hugely popular or viral titles like Fourth Wing on here. These are books you may not have heard of or maybe didn’t realize were romantasy.
5) Arcana Academy by Elise Kova
Considered by many to be one of the best books of 2025, Arcana Academy by Elise Kova is a bit of a new discovery for me and one I’m glad to have made. While many romantasy books deal in worlds with dragons, vampires, and faeries, Arcana Academy is a little unexpected with a main character who uses magical tarot cards. The story follows Clara Graysword, who is sentence to a lifetime prison sentence for inking tarot cards, but ends up with an unexpected avenue for escape when the headmaster of the elite Arcana Academy, Prince Kaelis, wants her to help him steal a tarot card from the king that can be used to recreate a long lost (and all-powerful) card. Magic, fantasy, and a heist all in one, Arcana Academy is fantastic (and the second book in the series is coming out in July.)
4) The Butterfly Crest by Eva Vanrell
The Butterfly Crest is probably the book on this list that you are the least likely to have ever heard of—its independently published—but if you like your romantasy mythologically flavored, this one is for you. The book centers around a young woman, Elena Vicens, whose ordinary life is interrupted when she receives a letter about a deposit box belonging to her mother nearly 20 years after her death. When she collects the contents of the box, she unwitting comes into possession of a cursed in heritance and finds herself at the center of an ancient war between the gods of myths and legends as she is the key to fulfilling a long-told prophecy. The research that goes into the mythology in this book is astounding and Vanrell creates a tapestry of lore that lifts directly off the page. This one will stick with you for a very, very long time.
3) For Whom the Belle Tolls by Jaysea Lynn
If you have spent any time on TikTok, you have probably come across Jaysea Lynn’s skits about the Hellp Desk, but For Whom the Belle Tolls is so much better than Lynn’s already great skits. The series follows Lily, a young woman who ends up in the Afterlife and discovers that it isn’t anything like she thought it would be and soon finds herself working in the most unlikely of places: the customer service desk in Hell. She also finds something else she never bargained for in the form of the demon Bel. The story is one full of heart, humor, and spice and it will genuinely make you think a lot about your own preconceived notions about, well, everything. A second book, The Belles of Wrath, is coming April 2027.
2) Red City by Marie Lu
One could argue that this is more a fantasy that has romantic elements, but I say close enough, especially if you were already a fan of Lu’s Legend. Red City is Lu’s adult fiction debut and is very much a more contemporary fantasy. Set in an alternate Los Angeles where alchemists have turned the power of transformation into an elite drug called sand, the story follows two former childhood friends Sam, the daughter of a poor single mother who makes her way into the ruthless Grand Central syndicate and Ari, a shy boy uprooted from his family in India as a child who ends up trained as one of the Lumine syndicates brightest rising stars. Now, the two young alchemists are on opposite sides of a coming war. It’s dark, its seedy, it’s sexy and it’s unlike anything else in the genre.
1) A Shadow In the Ember by Jennifer L. Armentrout
If you’re a romantasy fan, you’re no stranger to Jennifer L. Armentrout’s work. Her From Blood and Ash series is great and a fan favorite and any of those books could end up on this list. That said, it’s the first book in her Flesh and Fire series, A Shadow in the Ember, that we’re picking because it really just is that good. The book—and series—is set in the same world as Blood and Ash. It follows Seraphena Mierel, whose fate is not her own. While she is presented as a Maiden, she actually has to uphold the deal her ancestor made, offering herself to the Primal of Death as his Consort where she’s supposed to get him to fall in love, make him weak, and then kill him. That’s right, she’s secretly an assassin. But, of course, it never quite works that way. One of the things Armentrout does extremely well is create worlds with her words that are so rich they feel real and that is on full display here. This one is a must-read.
What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
More TV Shows
-
Image Courtesy of Marvel -
Image Courtesy of DC Studios -
Image courtesy of Marvel Television
